Facebook blocks Australians from sharing news, alarm over access to info

Australia's government said the ban threatened Facebook's "credibility"

Facebook on Wednesday (local time) said that Australia will no longer find news on the social media app.

According to a report by CNN, Facebook announced the decision to not allow users in Australia to share news in response to proposed legislation in Australia that would force tech platforms to pay news publishers for content.

"What the proposed law introduced in Australia fails to recognise is the fundamental nature of the relationship between our platform and publishers," Campbell Brown, Facebook's vice president of global news partnerships, wrote in a blog post.

"Contrary to what some have suggested, Facebook does not steal news content. Publishers choose to share their stories on Facebook. I hope in the future, we can include news for people in Australia once again," Brown added.

According to CNN, during a January hearing in Australia's senate, Facebook had suggested it could block content in the country if the bill becomes law.